All New Cells

written by Aliza Goldstein
directed by Alison Kozar

produced in association with Theater Off Jackson

Preview Performance - June 1, 2023
June 2-18, 2023
Thursday-Saturday @ 7:30 p.m.
Sunday @ 2:00 p.m.

Theater Off Jackson
409 7th Ave S., Seattle WA 98109

Special Events:
June 3, 2023 - Post-show Talkback with the Playwright and Director
June 8, 2023 - Cosplay Night! Wear a Costume, Get a Free Raffle Ticket for ANC Swag!

What are the reviewers saying about All New Cells?

“[An] eloquent and dynamic story that explores trauma and healing in an otherwise unseen world.”

Katherine Ipince Leitner, Drama in the Hood

It is earnest, it is open-hearted and it is devastating.

Leilani Lucas, Real Change

Forged in a niche online fantasy forum, real passions and rivalries take hold as members navigate shared pasts and an uncertain future. Breaking free from social webs — even chosen ones — isn’t so simple in this trans-centered, proudly geeky new play.

Chase Anderson, NW Theatre

 

“Becoming is exhausting.”

What Do you Do when the person you loved most won’t allow you to be who you really are?

Zenaida Rose Smith as Lux & Kasper Cergol as Nils. | Photography by Kirk Hostetter.

When Nils's ex-girlfriend dies suddenly, he is dragged back into a toxic online roleplay scene he swore he'd never return to. He'd been doing okay sticking to his seven-year plan for getting over their breakup - but now, everyone either blames him or expects him to have answers, and he's getting nasty anonymous messages that might be coming from beyond the grave. A nuanced examination of identity, trauma, assault, grief, and mental health through an online world.

Content Note & Resources

"All New Cells" contains references to suicide, child sexual abuse and self harm, which are discussed, but not depicted; themes include transphobia and online bullying.

If you or a friend need help with mental health, sexual abuse or bullying please tell someone: a parent, a teacher, a trusted friend. Click through for publicly available resources and for additional content information on our Spoilers and Support page.

Audience Information

  • Seating is general admission, and you may have fellow audience members seated close to you.

  • All patrons must wear a mask in the theatre space at all times, except while actively drinking a beverage.

  • All single ticket sales are final. Exchanges may be made for any date that has not sold out.

l to r: Kasper Cergol as Nils & Kay Taylor Yelinek as Moody | Photography by Kirk Hostetter.

 

l to r: Jasmine Lomax as Aeon, Kasper Cergol as Nils, Kay Taylor Yelinek as Moody | Photography by Kirk Hostetter.

l to r: Kay Taylor Yelinek as Moody & Jasmine Lomax as Aeon | Photography by Kirk Hostetter.

 

Cast Members

Lux - Zenaida Rose Smith

Moody - Kay Taylor Yelinek

Nils - Kasper Cergol

Aeon - Jasmine Lomax

Creative Team

Director - Alison Kozar

Intimacy Consultant - Francesca Betancourt

Deck Stage Manager - Hana Oh

Lighting Design - Chih-Hung Shao

Costume Design - Fawn Bartlett

Technical Director/Production Assistant - Erin Lammie

Photography - Kirk Hostetter

Social Media Marketing - Carolynne Wilcox

Playwright - Aliza Goldstein

Casting Director - Buddy Todd

Calling Stage Manager - Brandon Ellis

Properties & Set-Dressing Design - Jessamyn Bateman-Iino

Sound Design - Madelyn Zandt

Graphic Design - Lara Kratz

Scenic Painter - Gwen Gothe

Producer/Scenic Design - Rebecca O’Neil

Cast

  • Kasper Cergol (he/him)

    Nils

    All New Cells will be Kasper Cergol’s first production in Seattle since moving from Baltimore. After struggling to find his place within his university’s theatre program, he studied electronic media and film with a radio/audio concentration. Although still exploring what career path he wants to pursue long-term, the constant in Kasper’s life is a devotion to storytelling through performance. His other interests include sewing, music (cello, guitar, and voice), and environmental conservation.

  • Jasmine Lomax (they/them)

    Aeon

    Jasmine Lomax (They/ Them) graduated from Cornish College of the Arts, majoring in Original Works. Over the pandemic, they have also been working towards certification as an Intimacy Director. Since transplanting from Boise, ID. They have supported the Seattle Theater Community in the roles of Actor, Director, Intimacy Director, Dramaturg, Stage Manager, and Playwright. When they are not on the stage, you can find them working with Delta Dental of Washington as one of their magical tooth fairies!

  • Kay Taylor Yelinek (they/them)

    Moody

    Musician, actor, artist, Kay Taylor Yelinek does it all. They discovered a love of performance after beginning their higher education journey at Seattle Central College, and followed it all the way to Hollywood, California to graduate from AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts. This is the second time Kay has worked with The Shattered Glass Project, and is honored to have been invited again to participate in All New Cells.

  • Zenaida Rose Smith (she/her)

    Lux

    Zenaida is a mixed Filipinx producer, director, and actor. Recent Seattle acting credits include Mrs. Caliban, Little Bee (Book-It); The Thanksgiving Play (Seattle Public); Trevor, Year of the Rooster (MAP); The Neverborn, The Lost Girls, Puny Humans (Annex). They are also Production Manager at ArtsWest, producing staff at 18th & Union and MAP Theatre, and a board member with 14/48 Projects. Next catch her directing Bloodletting with Porkfilled Productions in fall 2023.

Creative Team

  • Aliza Goldstein (she/they)

    Playwright

    Aliza Goldstein is a playwright based in Orange County, CA and just happy to be here. B.F.A. Dramatic Writing, New York University (2013). Plays include IZZY ICARUS FELL OFF THE WORLD and A SINGULAR THEY. Winner: 2013 John Golden Prize for Undergraduate Playwriting; 2015 Ebell of Los Angeles Playwright Prize; 2017 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Ted Schmitt Award; 2020 SETC/Stage Rights Ready to Publish Award. Find me on New Play Exchange!

  • Alison Kozar (they/them)

    Director

    Alison is a multidisciplinary theatre artist facilitating brave storytelling through directing, stage management, and sound design. Recent projects: Intiman's Two Mile Hollow , and All New Cells and Gallery of Perspective and Light (Shattered Glass Project.) Other selected projects: Intiman's The Mystery of Irma Vep and The Events, dani tirrell's Black Bois, WET's Is God Is, MAP Theatre's Year of the Rooster. Alison believes in healing the world, feminist science fiction, radical self-worth, and antifa. professionalmomfriend.com

  • Brandon Eller (he/him)

    Calling Stage Manager

    Originally from STL, Brandon moved to Seattle in 2015 to escape the midwest and work as a stage manager. He has worked with sever local theatres, including Annex, Cafe Nordo, 12th Ave, and Theatre off Jackson. Favorite past productions: "Cymbeline" (ASM, with Seattle Shakes Wooden O), "Our Country's Good" (SM, with Strawberry Theatre Workshop), and "Scott Shoemaker's War on Christmas" (SM, with Shoes & Pants Productions).

  • Hana Oh (she/her)

    Deck Stage Manager

    Hana (she/her) recently moved back to Seattle, returning to her family and hometown. She loves being onstage and back (and, of course, in the audience), witnessing stories come to life. She believes theatre is one of the most magical forms of storytelling that brings various people with different backgrounds together. Currently, Hana teaches children with Seattle Children’s Theatre. She would like to express her gratitude for the opportunity to be part of this production.

  • Jessamyn Bateman-Iino (they/them)

    Set-Dressing and Properties Design

    Jessamyn Bateman-Iino (they/them) is a Seattle area prop master and stage manager. Past favorite shows include Jesus Christ Superstar (Reboot Theatre) and The Last World Octopus Wrestling Champion (ArtsWest). They also make cute and creepy crafts, which can be found at mutinyhall.com.

  • Fawn Bartlett (she/her)

    Costume Design

    Fawn Bartlett is a graduate from the University of Washington’s MFA Costume Design Program. Her background in fashion design and telling a story with clothing ultimately lead her down the extraordinary path of theatre. Her designs are always from the heart and from the heart of the story. As ever, Fawn dedicates her work to her beloved Mother and Father, to her incredible husband, and to her amazing and beautiful little one

  • Chih-Hung Shao (he/him)

    Lighting Design

    Chih-Hung is a professional lighting designer in Seattle area. His most recent lighting design was As It Is In Heaven by Taproot Theatre. He has worked with McCaw Hall, Seattle Rep, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and Jones Playhouse to name a few.

    Other selected lighting design credits include Miss Step(Village Theatre-Issaquah), An Endless Shift(ArtsWest Playhouse), Becoming Othello(Center Theatre), Elf: The Musical(Magnuson Community Center), Not/ Our Town(12th Ave Arts), She Devil of the China Seas(Theatre Off Jackson).

  • Madelyn Zandt (she/her)

    Sound Designer

    Madelyn is an audio engineer and designer. She is an Intiman Starfish alumn and has worked with Intiman, Williams Project, ArtsWest, Jefferson and Rainier Community Centers, Franklin High School, Orca K-8, and El Centro De La Raza. She lives here in Seattle in her multigenerational Filipino home with her family and three troublesomely cute bunnies.

  • Buddy Todd (they/them)

    Casting Director

    Buddy Todd has acted, directed, and choreographed throughout the Seattle region with organizations such as Pork Filled Productions, Pacific Play Company, Renton Civic, Theatre 9/12, Bainbridge Performing Arts, Edmonds College, Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theatre, FantasticZ, and more. Buddy is also a teaching artist with Studio East and Seattle Children's Theatre.

  • Lara Kratz (she/her)

    Graphic Design

    Lara Kratz is a Seattle-based graphic designer with a career that spans over 20 years of work with major Seattle-area brands, but also has a background in theatre, including Ferndale Repertory Theater, and Redwood Curtain Theatre in California, participating as an actress, stage manager, and in both costume and scenic design. She served on the TSGP board from 2019-2020. Lara is proud to be a part of The Shattered Glass Project, because she firmly believes in advocating for the increased representation of women in the theatre world, both on stage and behind the scenes.

  • Rebecca O'Neil (she/her)

    Producer/Scenic Designer

    Rebecca O’Neil is a Seattle-based producer, actor, and director with a passion for equity in the theatre and a profound interest in using the theatre to tell stories about all kinds of people, at all the intersections in their lives. Current projects include the upcoming Incubator/Mentor Program; the 2023 TSGP Script Development Festival ; and The Lysistrata [protest] Devising Project. She most recently directed ArbusSpeaks at Freehold; and Much Ado About Nothing on the Zoom stage. She is the proud mother of Jade, Gemma and Rafferty, and grandmother of Leila. Peter: I couldn’t do this without you.